How can you register a puppy that has a Miniature Poodle for a mother and a Toy Poodle for a father? Are the puppies still considered purebred puppies?

Yes, the puppies are purebred poodle puppies. The American Kennel Club only recognizes poodles as poodles, not sizes. Unlike some other breeds, such as Schnauzers, poodles are poodles, regardless of size, whereas the three sizes of Schnauzers are considered three separate breeds. The only time that size is considered is when showing a poodle. The three size designations are judged separately as Toy, Miniature, and Standard. Otherwise, size doesn’t matter.

Is it true that poodles don’t shed?

Yes, it is true, poodles do not shed . They can have dandruff, which someone might be allergic to, but poodle hair just keeps growing out, as opposed to falling out and being replaced by a new coat as is the case of most other breeds. This is why people who are somewhat allergic to dogs are usually not allergic to poodles. However, people severely allergic to dogs can sometimes still have a reaction to poodles (because of the aforementioned dandruff), and should do a “test run” with a friend or neighbor’s poodle before assuming that they can go ahead and bring a poodle puppy home. Simply testing your reaction to the puppy won’t be sufficient, as a puppy may not have been alive long enough to develop allergy inducing dandruff. Please, before committing to a puppy, test out your nose, eyes and throat on an adult poodle if dog allergies are a problem for you or a member of your immediate family.

Are poodles good with kids?

Generally, a well-bred, healthy poodle will be good with children who are respectful of the poodle’s size and associated potential fragility. However, children who treat the poodle disrespectfully by constantly picking up, dropping, teasing, and grabbing, are going to be treated accordingly. Even well-bred poodles are going to defend themselves against harm if they feel threatened by a child’s actions. Usually, unless a poodle has been frightened by a child’s past actions, children and poodles are great playmates. They are generally gentle dogs who react accordingly to gentle children.

How often should poodles be groomed?

What a difference a day makes!  Here is Pixie in her "jeans and T-shirt" look, and ...	Here she is a day later after a bath and haircut.

That’s really up to personal preferences. Since poodle hair just keeps growing, not grooming on a regular schedule will insure a matted, messy-looking little ragamuffin. Most poodle owners have their dogs groomed professionally about every 8 weeks. If you like a fuzzier looking dog, go every 12 weeks. If you like the more clean shaven look, every 4 weeks. A professional grooming should (and usually does) include a bath, a hair trim in the style you desire, toenail clipping and ear cleaning. Some groomers also make expressing the anal glands a part of the visit prior to the bath. I would discourage this, as improperly expression of these glands can lead to infected anal glands and surgery. Let your veterinarian deal with it if your dog has anal gland build up. Not the groomer.

What kind of health problems can poodles have?

Unfortunately, health problems run rampant in many lines of poodles. There are 26 recognized problems associated with Miniature and Toy Poodles. A few more for Tea Cups, a few less, for Standards. All in all, the poodle breed of dog is one of the most genetically disease-plagued in the United States. The reason for this high incidence of genetic problems is poor breeding standards. Because the poodle has been a popular breed for a long period of time, breeders unconcerned with quality have created many lines of unhealthy dogs. These breeders breed only to make a fast buck. Not checking for genetic, inheritable problems in their breeding stock, they – sometimes quite unintentionally – produce puppies with severe health problems. These problems frequently don’t show up until the dog is firmly entrenched as a member of someone’s family and the dog may have, in turn, produced a litter or two of it’s own puppies. The only way to stop the cycle of unhealthy dogs breeding more unhealthy dogs is to test each potential breeding dog for the problems BEFORE they are bred. This is expensive and is why many breeders don’t do it.

The 12 (out of 26) most common inheritable problems associated with small poodles are:

• Eye lid and eye lash problems (resulting in recurring infection and discomfort)

• Immune system disorders

• Bone and cartilage problems

• Heart problems

• Progressive Retinal Atrophy (resulting in blindness)

• Epilepsy

• Allergic Dermatitis

• Behavioral problems (excessive aggression, timidity, and fearfulness are some examples)

• Juvenile Cataracts

• Blood and bleeding disorders

• Deafness

• Intervertebral Disc Degeneration (extreme pain and eventual paralysis)

It is EXTREMELY important to breed ONLY dogs without these (and other) problems to ensure a healthy litter of puppies. Genetic testing is available for some of these problems and should be implemented before considering a dog as breeding potential.

Why is there such a big difference in the price of poodle puppies? I look in the paper and see some for $250, $350, and $450, and yet others, like yours, are much more expensive. What’s the difference?

The difference, in most cases, is the quality of the puppy. “Backyard Breeders” can afford to produce cheap puppies because they don’t spend a lot of money to do so. Professional and hobby breeders producing good quality, genetically tested, clean and well-socialized puppies can’t afford to sell their puppies cheaply anymore than they could afford to give them away. It a lot of cases, it’s true that you get what you pay for. Can you get a nice, quality, healthy poodle puppy cheaply? Yes, but you have a MUCH better chance at getting that good quality puppy if you spend more money.